Tigers Sweep Battling Bishops In NCAC Opener

Springfield, OH – The Wittenberg University baseball team returned to Carleton-Davidson Stadium on Wednesday evening, opening North Coast Athletic Conference action, hosting the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan University. The Tigers swept the Bishops on the day, taking game one 5-4, before moving on to secure game two by a final score of 4-1. Wittenberg registered seven hits in the first game against OWU. Dylan Jackson put on a defensive clinic at the hot corner for the Red and White, making acrobatic plays in both games, helping keep the Battling Bishops off the scoreboard.

Game Breakdown

Wittenberg broke the scoring open in game one with a three-run first. Gage Carpenter reached with on the hit-by-pitch, would later swipe third, and come home on the throwing error by the Bishops. A double down the line in left by Patrick Kenny scored Tanner Boros for the second Tiger run of the inning. Kenny capped off the Tiger scoring rally for the first inning, as Mason Davis ripped a single through the right side. After the Bishops posted two runs in the top of the fifth, the back-and-forth battle ignited between two old NCAC foes. Jackson extended the Tiger lead out to 4-2 with a single to left, bringing around Gabe Stacy. The Bishops knotted things up in the top of the sixth with two more runs crossing home. Wittenberg regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning, taking advantage of another OWU miscue, as Chase Whisner scored on the Bishop wild pitch.

Tyler Defibaugh earned his second win of the season, moving to 2-0. Defibaugh put in just one inning of relief, coming in for Rusty Hayhurst who tossed five innings with one strikeout. Austin Luther secured the save for the Red and White, his first of the season, striking out one in one inning of work.

It was a tight battle through seven innings of game two, as the Tigers kickstarted the scoring in the bottom of the third. Ryan Probst put the Tigers on the board with a two-RBI single through the right side, bringing around Stacy and Davis. Jackson did a job on the offensive side of the ball, putting the Tigers ahead 4-1 with Wittenberg getting aggressive on the base path on the sacrifice fly.

Michael Osmond took the hill to start game two for the Tigers, putting in five innings of work, allowing just four hits, and striking out one. Jared Burick closed out the game for the Tigers, facing seven OWU hitters, striking out two through two innings pitched.

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will return to action on Saturday, April 10 traveling to Ohio Wesleyan to close out the series with the Battling Bishops. First pitch from Delaware is set for 1:00 pm.